Date for This Discourse This Hemavata Sutta is really a short piece, and so it is apt to be overlooked by many. In fact, it is the second of the discourses of the Buddha, for it was delivered just after the Dhammacakka Sutta, the Buddha’s first discourse. The well-known Anattalakkhana Sutta was delivered after the Hemavata
Sutta, which was delivered on the night of the same day as the Dhammacakka Sutta. This discourse is suitable for everyone. It is a conversation between two celestial ogres, Hemavata and Sātāgiri, describing the admirable attributes of the Buddha, and the ways of conduct for the Buddha’s disciples. The woman who overheard the conversation was so inspired by the attributes of the Buddha
that she became a Stream-winner (sotāpanna), although she had not yet learnt of his attainment of Buddhahood. It would be really wonderful if my audience were to gain realisation of the Dhamma like that woman. She heard only a short conversation whereas my audience will be hearing a discourse that will last
more than two hours daily for three or four days. My audience would be learning more from an elaborate discourse than the woman had learnt from a short talk. I hope that they will earn at least some perfections (pāramī) conducive to attaining the path of a Stream-winner, if not the path itself. The Buddha taught the Dhamma for forty-five years to human beings, devas, and brahmās before his
final passing away (parinibbāna). From the time of his parinibbāna to this day is a period of 2,506 years,1 and adding the forty-five years of his life as a teacher, the age of the Hemavata Sutta is 2,551 years. Being as old as the Dhammacakka Sutta, it is among the earliest discourses delivered by the Buddha. At dawn following the full-moon of May 2,551 years ago Gotama attained Buddhahood. He stayed on at
seven nearby places, for seven days each. After the forty-nine days, the Buddha went to the Mīgadavana forest near the city of Benares (Varanasi) to deliver his first discourse to the group of five ascetics. The date of the First Discourse was the full moon day of the month of July, 2,551 years ago. The time was the evening when the reddened ball of the sun was about to sink into the western horizon while the yellowish disc of the full moon was rising from the eastern horizon. Myriads of devas and brahmās also assembled around the Buddha to listen to his First Discourse. Of the five ascetics, the oldest one, Venerable Kondañña, attained to the stage of a Stream-winner while 180 million brahmās and innumerable devas attained the realisation of the Dhamma, according to the Milinda Pañha. Among the celestial audience was Sātāgiri, who was named after the Sātā mountain, which was his residence. He was delighted to hear the Dhammacakka Sutta, but after looking around, he found that his friend was absent. He wished his friend to be present because myriads of world-periods had passed since the last discourse of the preceding Buddha (Buddha Kassapa) and this was the first time such a
discourse had been heard since then. So he was wondering why his friend had not come to hear the First Discourse. Sātāgiri failed to attain realisation of the Dhamma owing to such distractions. Concentrated Attention is Essential To attain realisation of the Dhamma while listening to a discourse, one must have a serene mind. Only
serene and careful attention will lead to concentration, and insight can only develop through deep concentration. If the mind wanders during the discourse to domestic, economic, or other secular affairs, concentration will not be gained. If anxiety sets in, it will be worse. When distraction and anxiety occur, the essence of the Dhamma will be missed, and as concentration is lacking, insight will
not mature. If one cannot attain insight (vipassanā), how can one attain realisation of the Dhamma? So serene attention while listening to a discourse is crucial. The way to conduct oneself while listening to a discourse is described in the Kassapa Samyutta as follows. Proper Way of Listening to A Discourse A discourse must be attended to with a motive of benefit, just as in a commercial transaction a fair bargain must be struck with due consideration. In harvesting crops care must be taken so that not a grain of corn, nor a string of beans is left behind. The utmost care with which gold and gems must be kept is obvious. Similarly, in listening to a discourse one must try to realise the meaning of every word
uttered. According to that treatise, the listener must listen carefully, with full mental involvement, and the Dhamma must be followed in practice. That is the proper way of attending to a discourse. If one listens to a discourse in this way, one’s mind will be calm and absorbed in the discourse, i.e. without distraction, so one will attain purity of mind.
Many beings attained realisation of the Dhamma while listening attentively to the discourse on the Four Noble Truths. The attainment of liberation from samsāra by Venerable Kondañña, and the devas and brahmās when the discourse of the Dhammacakka was heard on that day, was due to paying concentrated attention to the Buddha’s words. In this instance, Sātāgiri might have missed some words as he had been thinking about his friend Hemavata. If he had not missed the words, he might
have pondered deeply upon their meaning. It appears that he did not quite understand the discourse as he was wondering why his friend had not turned up; he was thinking that his friend could be under the spell of pleasures and enjoyment. Thus, Sātāgiri did not come to the realisation of the Dhamma. Hemavata was under the spell of pleasures, or in other words, “Beguiled by worldly pleasures.” Worldly
pleasures beguile people though they have no intrinsic value. Some individuals cannot come to attend this discourse because they are presently beguiled by worldly pleasures. The practice of the Dhamma is far away for such people. They usually think that the Dhamma can be practised later and that, for the present, making a living, making a headway in life, and enjoying pleasures, are more urgent. That is the
beguilement of worldly pleasures. However, practising the Dhamma is really urgent and important. Such practice can be done only during the Buddha’s dispensation, whereas worldly pleasures can be sought at any time. Therefore one should pay careful attention to the practice of the Dhamma after having found sufficient means of livelihood. By the practice of the Dhamma, one could attain to a stage of spiritual achievement and thus escape
from the dangers of the realms of misery (apāya) and from hell (niraya). Even if one cannot yet attain to the stages of the path (magga) and its fruition (phala), one can become involved in the Dhamma and regularly make wholesome kamma. Thus, one could be reborn as a human being, reach the spiritual realms of devas, or ascend to the higher realms of existence, and obtain some benefits. If, however,
one wastes one’s time in the affairs of secular life, one will be ill-equipped to attain a good life in the next existence. Therefore, believing that worldly pleasures are more important and urgent, although they are not, is due to the beguilement of worldly pleasures. It is, in fact, an illusion. Sātāgiri was giving a thought to his absent friend and letting his mind wander during the Buddha’s discourse. That is why he missed the chance to realise the Dhamma. After the Buddha’s discourse on the Dhammacakka Sutta, Sātāgiri left the assembly to invite his friend. Sātāgiri was a leading celestial ogre, and so was accompanied by his five hundred bodyguards with chariots drawn by elephants, horses, and garudas (huge and powerful birds). Simultaneously, Hemavata was on his way to invite Sātāgiri to a celestial festival of flowers — wonderful flowers that
were then in full bloom in the Himalayan mountains. Sātāgiri too, came in full force with his bodyguards and chariots. As both were making an aerial journey, Hemavata heading for the south and Sātāgiri heading for the north, they met over the city of Rājagiri. When the two friends met, Hemavata said: “Friend Sātāgiri, the Himalayas are now full of flowers as
never before. So I have come to invite you to a feast to celebrate the occasion.” Sātāgiri asked his friend why so many trees were blooming in the Himalayas. Hemavata said that he did not know the reason. Then Sātāgiri said: “Not only the Himalayas are so resplendent with flowers; flowers bloom as abundantly and as resplendently everywhere else. The reason is that the Fully
Self-Enlightened One (Sammāsambuddha) attained enlightenment two months ago. Today he delivered his First Discourse, the Dhammacakka Sutta, and all the trees on earth have blossomed by way of making obeisance to the Enlightened One. I remembered you while I was attending the discourse, so I have come to invite you to it.” The Woman Who Overheard the Celestial Ogres While Hemavata and Sātāgiri were conversing, a rich man’s daughter named Kālī was enjoying the breeze, having opened a window of her boudoir. The month of July at Rājagiri city was hot, as it is at Mandalay or Shwebo. Kālī was then in the family way, and was feeling hot. So she opened the window,
and was cooling herself in the breeze when she heard the two celestial ogres overhead. She listened very attentively to their conversation. She realised that the conversation was not between two human beings, and guessed that it must be between two celestial beings. She must have been about sixteen or seventeen, for in India in those days, women were married early and got into the family way at that
age. The child she was carrying was none other than a future disciple of the Buddha, Sonakutikanna Thera. He was later extolled by the Buddha as pre-eminent for his excellent enunciation of Dhamma.1 Invitation by SātāgiriSātāgiri said, “Friend Hemavata, today is the fifteenth day of the month, an Uposatha day, and the
night is bright with celestial lights. Today the Buddha delivered his first discourse, so the trees are in full bloom, not only in the Himalayas, but also in the Sātā mountains. The flowers blossom not only in those regions, but all over the world, making obeisance to the Buddha for his first discourse. So many devas and brahmās are attending the discourse that the world is aglow with celestial lights. In the east
the full moon shines clearly along with the Asahlī planet. This night is therefore full of light from all these sources, and is sacred.” The world must have been so beautiful with blossom and celestial lights in the all-seeing eyes of the devas. Even to human eyes it must have been beautiful. Incidentally, once I went on a pilgrimage to
the Kyaik-htiyoe Pagoda. It was the night of the 14th of February in 1931. The moon was nearly full, and shining clearly. Looking out from the mountain range, I found the hills and valleys all around beautiful under the flooded moonlight. Some trees were full of flowers. The trees standing on the mountain slopes added to the scenic beauty of the panorama. The entire world must have been very
beautiful to celestial beings on the day of the first discourse. So Sātāgiri invited his friend Hemavata to go to make obeisance to the Buddha. “Let us go now to make obeisance to our great teacher, the Buddha of the noble and glorious lineage of Gotama,” said Sātāgiri to his friend, Hemavata. Continuing, he said that the great teacher Siddhattha of the Gotama lineage of the Sakya clan, had practised the Dhamma in Uruvela forest for six years. Now he had become the Fully Enlightened One possessing the nine incomparable attributes beginning with the attribute of araham. I will explain briefly the nine attributes of the Enlightened One. Attributes of the BuddhaThe word ‘araham’ means ‘deserving.’ What does the Buddha deserve? He deserves special adoration and worship. People worship various objects: trees, forests, mountains, oceans, the sky, the sun, the
moon, the planets. Some people worship various kinds of celestial beings, some worship God in heaven, while others worship brahmā. Some people worship men such as the leaders of various sects and denominations. Why do people worship? They worship because they want to be free from danger and disasters. Everybody wants to be free from danger, and wants to be prosperous, healthy, long-lived, and wealthy. Not only human beings but celestial beings share similar desires. People want to achieve
greater things than their own skill alone can do, so they depend on all sorts of deities, such as mountain and tree spirits. They worship and make offerings to them. Some imagine a super-powerful being who creates the world and its people and things, and worship that imagined being. Although no one has ever seen such a being, and no one can describe his appearance, people worship that being because someone in the past was reported to have said that he had seen that being. That person
might have been dreaming. Each generation of religionists worships according to their own beliefs without being critical. Even in this scientific age, traditional beliefs have remained. Believing that those who pray will be saved from adversity just by praying is groundless. If the gods or God could save these prayerful people, all of
them would be rich, healthy, and prosperous, but they are not. Those who work, without praying, in any line of profitable trade or occupation become rich and prosperous. Every person is rewarded for his or her work according to its worth. Idlers obviously do not get rich. It is one’s own effort that gives the reward, and prosperity is not due to worship of the gods. The Buddha did not say, “Venerate me, and I will save you.” He said that one would taste the fruits of
one’s own wholesome and unwholesome deeds. Nevertheless, one can gain special merit if one worships a person who truly possesses morality (sīla) and other noble qualities. If the merit thus gained finds an occasion to give its result, the worshipper will get the reward during his or her own lifetime, and the reward will be certainly be gained in future existences — the Buddha said so. However, if one
adores a person who has no qualities that would make him noble and holy, such adoration is futile. It is like keeping bricks and gravel, thinking that they are precious stones. How can you expect to get the price of precious stones if you sell bricks and gravel? If, however, you keep genuine precious stones, then you can sell them at their true worth. In the same way, if you worship noble and holy persons, you will gain the kind of merit you expect to
get. As for the Buddha, he is the highest among those possessing morality and other noble qualities. So if the devas, brahmās, and human beings adore the Buddha, they will gain merit and receive rich rewards ranging from the benefits of human and celestial lives to the realisation of nibbāna. Such benefits are not given by the Buddha, but they are the natural result of merit accruing from adoration
of the Buddha. The Buddha thus deserves the appellation “Araham” — one deserving the adoration of human and celestial beings. So Sātāgiri praised the Buddha with this noble appellation. The other meaning of araham is, “to be far from something.” The meaning is that the Buddha is far from
the mental defilements (kilesa). Beings in all realms of existence hanker after things that are desirable, or in other words, they have greed (lobha). They become angry when they come across things that excite their anger (dosa), and are under delusions or mistaken notions (moha). On the contrary, the Buddha is remote and free from greed, anger, and delusion. That is why the Buddha deserves the noble appellation of araham. The next attribute is Sammāsambuddha. Sammā means ‘truthfully’; sam means ‘by oneself’; buddha means ‘knowing.’ So the term Sammāsambuddha means ‘knowing the truth fully by oneself.’ Though the Buddha had earlier received meditation instructions from Ālāra and Uddaka (ascetics who practised deep concentration), his attainment to Buddhahood was by methods evolved by his own insight. He
gained the stages of absorption (jhāna) using mindfulness of breathing (ānāpānasati), and perceived the Law of Dependent Origination (paticcasamuppāda) with his own insight. He analysed mental and physical phenomena and thus became enlightened. This is a brief summary of the Buddha’s realisation of the truth by himself. That is why the Buddha deserves the noble appellation of ‘Sammāsambuddha.’ When the Buddha attained Buddhahood, he gained full knowledge of the past, present, and future — he knew immediately whatever he thought about. His knowledge was without any defect. The Buddha deserves the noble appellation ‘Buddha’ because he knew the Dhamma fully and completely. This is what Sātāgiri said in praise of the Buddha. Sātāgiri told Hemavata that the noble attributes of the Buddha were so many that one could not count them — one would have to explain them for myriads of years to do them full justice. Then he invited his friend to the Buddha’s discourse. After hearing out his friend, Hemavata queried several points to find out whether the one referred to
by Sātāgiri was really a Buddha. He put questions to his friend, and Sātāgiri answered them. At that time the leaders of several sects — Purāna Kassapa, Makkhali Gosāla, and four others — were all claiming to be Buddhas, so it was necessary to make a proper investigation. |
